The Daily Mail has raided the senior ranks of Microsoft to appoint a chief to head up its digital expansion into international markets.

Mail Online has appointed James Leaver, director of global investments and partnerships, advertiser and online at Microsoft, has been appointed to head up the digital expansion of the newspaper publisher outside its core markets of the US, UK and Australia.

Leaver, who will be based in London, takes on the newly-created role of general manager, international at Mail Online.

“As we look to expand Mail Online’s global footprint while creating additional revenue streams, James’ experience in international business development makes him the perfect addition to the Mail Online team,” said Martin Clarke, publisher and editor-in-chief of Mail Online.

Leaver will be responsible for exploring expansion opportunities into new markets, including developing its presence in India, where Mail Online launched in 2012.

“I’m excited to be joining Mail Online in this newly created role,” said Leaver. “I look forward to strengthening existing partnerships and creating new and exciting opportunities that leverage Mail Online’s global reach.”

The appointment comes just two days after Mail Online parted company with Jon Steinberg, the chief executive of its US operation, after a little over a year in the role.

On Wednesday, the Mail Online was unveiled as one of a host of publishers to partner with Google at the launch of its Accelerated Mobile Pages product which aims to radically improve the loading speed of web pages on smartphones and tablets.